Banjo



R. T. CARLUCCI.

BANJO.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1919.

Patented May 4, 1920.

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BANJO.

APPLICATION FILED mus. 919.

1,339,3 18. Patented May 4, 1920.

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WITNESSES INVENTOH fi y 11 065015227 6222-5241 By M ATTORNEYS UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROCCO TONY CARLUCCI, OF WEST NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 OSCARSCHMIDT, -INC.,' OF JERSEY CITY, NE'W JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

BANJO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1920.

Application filed May 13, 1919. Serial No. 296,735.

drums and similar musical instruments having a membrane.

The object of the invention is to provide certain new and usefulimprovements in musical instruments of the type referred to whereby theowner of such instrument is enabled to readily detach a cracked, splitor otherwise injured membrane and its mounting and forward the same to amanufacturer for replacing such injured membrane by a new one, and whenreceived by the owner to allow the latter to conveniently reassemble theparts without the aid of a skilled instrument maker. Another object isto. permit the owner or user to readily stretch the membrane to theproper degree to increase the volume of sound and resonance of theinstrument.

In order to accomplish the desired result, use is made of a membranemounting detachably fastened to the head frame of the musicalinstrument, and a membrane stretched over the said mounting. Use is alsomade of means under the control of the user for expanding the mountingto allow stretching of the membrane to a desired degree.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, m whichsimilar characters of reference inclicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

Figure 1 is a front view of a banjo mandolin provided with a detachablemembrane mounting, parts being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section of the same on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the membrane and its mounting;

Fig. t is a cross section of a banjo ukulele provided with a membrane ona detachable mounting;

Fig.5 is a cross section of a banjo provided with the detachablemembrane and its mounting; and

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the membrane and its mounting for the banjoshown in Fig. 5.

It is well known that correctly fitting a membrane on the head of amusical instrument can only be accomplished by a highly skilled workman,and in instruments of this type as hereinafter indicated it wasnecessary for the owner or dealer to return the entire instrument to theoriginal manufacturer or other maker of such instruments to.

replace a split, cracked orotherwise defective membrane. Vith theimprovements presently described in detail the owner or dealer of aninstrument having a defective membrane can readily detach the same withits mounting from the rim of the instrument and forward such mountingonly instead of the entire instrument, to the manufacturer or repairerto have a new membrane replaced on the mounting, which after beingreturned to the owner or dealer can be readily replaced in position onthe instrument without the aid of a skilled instrument maker.

In Figs. 1 and 2 is illustrated a banjo mandolin having a ring-shapedrim 10 provided at the inner face with an annular seat 11 on which isseated the rear edge of a ringshaped membrane mounting 12 over the frontedge of which is stretched a membrane 13 having its margin 1% glued orotherwise secured to the outer face of the mounting 12. The ring-shapedmounting 12 is spaced from the inner face of the forward portion of thehead rame 10 and is fastened thereto by bolts 15 extending radiallythrough the rim 10 and the mounting 12, as plainly indicated in Figs. 1and 2. The mounting 12 is of such a width that the membrane 13 stretchedover the same is practically flush with the front edge of the rim 10, asplainly indicated in Fig. 2. The forward portion of the mounting 12 isprovided with a split or a cut 16 which extends from the front edge ofthe mounting to about the middle of the same, as plainly indicated inFigs. 2 and 3. It will be noticed that by screwing up the nut of thebolt 15 the forward portion of the mounting 12 is expanded, and in doingso the membrane 13 is correspondingly stretched thus enabling the ownerof the instrument to adjust the tension of the membrane to a desireddegree with a view to insure volume of sound and resonance of theinstrument.

In order to prevent dust and other impurities from settling between themounting 12 and the inner face of the forward recessed portion of therim 10, use is made of a strip 17 of felt or a like soft material gluedto the inner face of the rim 10 at the front portion thereof, as plainlyindicated in Fig. 2.

It will be noticed that by the arrangement described, the owner of theinstrument by removing the bolts 15 can readily remove the mounting 12and its membrane 13 from the ring-shaped rim 10 to permit of forwardingsuch mounting to a manufacturer or repairer in case the membrane 13 iscracked, split or otherwise injured and needs replacing by a new one.After a new membrane has been placed in position on the mounting 12 thelatter is returned to the owner who can now conveniently replace themounting in the rim 10 and fasten the same thereto by the use of thebolt 15. It is understood that as such mounting 12 was originallyproperly fitted in the instrument the owner will experience nodifficulty in reassembling the parts after the mounting has beenprovided with a new membrane.

The rim 10 is provided with the usual tail piece 20 connected with oneend of the strings 21 extending over the bridge 22 and the neck 23 tothe tuning head in the usual manner so that further description of theseparts of the instrument is not deemed neces sary. It is understood,however, that the tail piece 20, the strings 21 and the bridge 22 areremoved prior to the mounting 12, as above explained.

In a banjo ukulele, as shown in Fig. 1, the ring-shaped mounting 25carries the membrane 26, and this mounting 25 is fastened to the rim 27by the use of bolts 28 to extend through the mounting 25 and screw intothe nuts 29 let in in the rim 27 so that the outer surface of the latteris wholly unobstructed, otherwise the construction is the same as abovedescribed relative to the banjo mandolin.

In the banjo shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the ring-shaped mounting 30carrying the membrane 31 forms a detachable part of the ring-shaped rim32, which for this purpose is provided at its front edge with a rabbet33 into which fits a rabbeted tongue 34 formed on the rear edge of themounting 30. The membrane 31 is stretched in this case over a ring 35,preferably made of metal, and having a flange 36 secured to the outerface of the mounting 30 and which flange forms a continuation of the rim37 held on the outer face of the rim 32 and forming part thereof. Theedge of the membrane 31 is bent around a ring 10 on which is seated astretching ring 41 engaged at its forward edge by the usual hooks 42 ofrods 13 slidably mounted in bearings etat attached by bolts 45 to therim 32 and its rim 37. Nuts 46 screw on the rods 13 and abut against thebearings 44 to allow of drawing the ring 41 rearward to stretch themembrane 31 to the desired degree over the ring 35 of the mounting 30.It will be noticed that by the arrangement described the mounting 30 canbe readily detached from the rim 32 of the banjo and forwarded to themanufacturer for replacing an injured membrane by a new one and thenreturning the mounting and its new membrane to the owner for replacement011 the rim 32. It is understood that by having the rabbet 33 and tongue31 a snug fit of the mounting 30 is at all times insured on the rim 32.It is understood that prior to detaching the mounting 30 and itsmembrane 31 from the instrument, it is necessary to disengage the hooks42 from the ring 41 and to remove the latter from the membrane to allowremoval of the mounting 30 and its membrane from the rim 32. It isfurther understood that in a banjo head as described the ring mounting30 is not provided with a split as tightening of the membrane isaccomplished by ad justing the rods 43 in the same manner as nowgenerally done in banjos of usual construction.

Having thus described my invention, I 100 claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. In a musical instrument of the typedescribed, the combination of a ring-shaped rim provided on the innerface near the 105 lower edge thereof with an annular seat, a ring-shapedmounting detachably seated at its rear edge on the said seat within thesaid rim, the said mounting having a split extending from the front edgeof the mount- 110 ing toward the rear edge thereof and terminating shortof said rear edge, a membrane stretched over the front edge of saidmounting, and fastening means detachably fastening the said mounting tothe said rim.

2. In a musical instrument of the type described, the combination of aring-shaped rim provided on the inner face near the lower edge thereofwith an annular seat, a ring-shaped mounting detachably seated at 120its rear edge on the said seat within the said rim, the said mountinghaving a split extending from the front edge of the mounting toward therear edge thereof and terminating short of said rear edge, a membrane125 stretched over the front edge of said mounting, and bolts fasteningthe said detachable mounting to the said rim and expanding the saidmounting and thereby stretching the said membrane.

said mounting and fastened to the outer face thereof, and bolts disposedradially and passing through the said mounting and the 10 said rim 'todetaohably fasten the said mounting to the said rim.

ROCCO TONY CARLUCCI.

